Ron silently glanced at the distant tent and nodded.
Concerned about his own smell, Professor Snail didn't pay Ron's odd behavior any mind. He returned to his tent, looking delighted.
Just as Ron was wondering whether to dig up some wild Taro before heading back to check on the land-clearing progress, or to just head back right away, an ambiguous sound came from inside the tent.
Luckily, Ron didn't have any Golden Walnuts on him. He stood calmly where he was, watching a face full of suspicion peek out from the tent, only to shrink back under his calm gaze.
Unsure of the Rattatas' progress, Ron used his hoe to dig up all the nearby taro, then picked some wild ginger before turning back and heading towards the farm area.
Including the time Ron spent negotiating with Leo, less than two hours had passed.
However, the land-clearing work on Ginger Island was already one-third complete.
The Orthworm was diligently tilling the ground, while the Geodude, well-trained, were clearing the stones, weeds, and wild bushes. A few other Rattata were also running around, searching for the whereabouts of Golden Walnuts.
He vaguely remembered that a few Golden Walnuts could only be obtained by solving puzzles or using mechanisms.
Following his memory, Ron walked towards a nearby cave.
As soon as he reached the entrance, he saw a Rattata had also found its way there.
Seeing Ron, the Rattata chirped twice at him, then scurried inside.
"You can find them this way too, huh?" Ron thought to himself, and followed it into the cave.
He saw several crystal pillars standing inside the cave. Just as Ron assumed the Rattata would, like he knew, obtain the walnuts here by solving a puzzle, he saw the Rattata sniff around with its nose for a bit, then quickly start digging in a corner of the cave.
Before long, something resembling a mechanism was yanked out by the Rattata. After sniffing it with its nose, the Rattata casually tossed it aside and continued to dig deeper.
A few Golden Walnuts thus appeared in its paws.
"Rattata!" the Rattata held up the Golden Walnuts, as if it were holding some kind of trophy.
"..."
"Well done," Ron said, giving the Rattata a snack as a reward.
"Rattata!!!"
Receiving the reward, this Rattata's motivation was clearly much higher. It then ran back outside.
Following the Rattata to the beach, before Ron could react, he saw the Rattata dig a hole in a certain spot on the beach. It then dove right in, and the next moment, a green bug was forced to emerge from the sand.
The Rattata then returned to Ron, a Golden Walnut in its mouth.
"Rattata!"
Ron silently gave it the reward.
However, not having to use conventional methods to obtain these Golden Walnuts was a good thing for Ron. Thinking this, Ron returned to the farm.
After the Rattatas returned as instructed, carrying Golden Walnuts in their mouths, Ron counted out 20 of them and handed them to the parrot waiting on a pole.
The parrot tilted its head, let out a few cryptic chirps at Ron, then looked up and let out a loud squawk.
As soon as the sound faded, a large flock of parrots flew over, carrying various materials in their beaks. They repaired the dilapidated little house at a speed that left Ron dumbfounded.
As the house was repaired, a new cave also appeared nearby.
Before Ron could recall what that cave was for, a Rattata darted inside at high speed.
The next moment, a voice came from the cave.
"Grow you for me da pink stuff—"
"How you robbing me?! That walnut— give it back!!!!!"
After the wail ended, a Rattata appeared before Ron, carrying its spoils and strutting proudly.
It was as if a band of bandits had swept through the island that day. Except for the Golden Walnuts in the Volcano Dungeon that required mining minerals and fighting monsters, all the other walnuts were collected, thanks to the Rattatas' relentless, no-holds-barred efforts.
Glancing at the Rattata, who were happily feasting on their rewards, and at the mostly cleared wasteland, Ron took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the beach.
Although he also wanted to visit the Walnut Room, because he had essentially cheated, Ron wasn't too keen on facing Mr. Qi, who was waiting inside the Walnut Room, just yet. He chose to go to the beach and talk with Willy instead.
In contrast to Ron's side, Willy was having a much more enjoyable time.
After turning in the Golden Walnuts it had collected, Sailor went fishing with Willy on the beach.
Willy gave his fishing rod a hard yank, and a Tuna was forcefully dragged ashore.
Seeing this, Sailor and the Krabby nearby cheered.
"How about that? Not bad, eh? We're eating this tonight!" Willy said.
As he spoke, Willy turned over the taro roasting in the nearby bonfire, then took out a dagger and began to prepare the fresh tuna in his hands.
"Ah, Ron, done with your work?" Noticing Ron's approach, Willy asked while skillfully processing the fish.
"—I guess you could say that."
Ron recalled the day's events and answered a bit vaguely.
"Yeah, it's always like that," Willy said. "I still remember the day your grandfather and I came to this island— it was even more run-down than it is now. It took him a full half-month to get this place cleaned up. These things can't be rushed."
"It's not—" Ron paused but decided not to continue. He sat down next to Willy and asked, "Didn't he bring any Pokémon with him then?"
"He did, brought some very strong ones," Willy said, trying to recall their names. "They looked very powerful, but I really can't remember their specific names."
So, he went for a battle-focused build.
Ron thought, for a moment unsure whether to be glad that he had recruited these Rattata, who didn't look strong but were surprisingly reliable, or to wonder if there was something wrong with his management style.
However, since Ron wasn't the type to be overly ambitious, he didn't think too much about it. He just sat quietly beside Willy, listening to him talk about the old farmer's battles in the volcano dungeon back in the day.
A short while later, Willy finished breaking down the fish. According to his own cooking habits, he separated the meat suitable for grilling, for pan-frying, and for eating raw. Then, with a solemn expression, he sprinkled the seasoning Sailor had brought onto the fish.
"What's that?"
"I don't know. It's a local specialty of this island, I guess," Willy said as he sprinkled. "Sailor found it. I'm not sure exactly where."
Ron turned his head and made eye contact with Sailor, who looked a bit guilty.
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